Curl holding device



June 26, 1951 N. L. SOLOMON 2,558,225 CURL HOLDING DEVICE Filed March17, 1949 ATTO R ZEY Patented June 26, 1951 UNITED STATES PAT ENT OFFICE2,558,225 CURL HOLDINQIJEVICE Nathan L. Solomon, Englevgood, N. J.Application March 17, 194,9, S erial,No. 81,949

. 6 Claims. 132-48) Thisinvention relates to devices for holding, a

I flat-like curl of hair, usually referred to as a pin or sculpturecurl. More particularly, the invention deals with a device of thecharacter described fashioned from a strip of sheet material in suchmanner as to economize on the production of the resulting clip-likeholder, and further to form a fingerpiece portion thereon, facilitatingmovement of the prong ends of the clip into open position for receptionof the curl.

The novel features of the invention will be best understood from thefollowing descriptions when taken together with the accompanyingdrawing, in which certain embodiments of the invention are disclosed,and in which the separate parts are designated by suitable referencecharacters .in each of the views, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a curl holding device made according to myinvention.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, indicatingthe operation of openingthe device preparatory to placing a curl between the pronged endsthereof.

Fig 3 is a plan view of the device with a'curl supported thereby,

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the blank from which the device shown in Figs.1 to 4 is formed.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the device as seen in Fig. l and showing thefolded blank.

Fig. 7 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 5 showing a modified form ofconstruction; and

Fig. 8 is an enlarged detailed view of part of a blank as seen in Fig.5, showing a modification.

In Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive, I have shown one form of curl holding device,which is fashioned from a blank It, Fig. 5, of a strip of sheetmaterial, so as to form at one end of the blank, a pair. of prongs ofingers H spaced apart by arecess I2, and vat the other end of theblank, another prong or finger E3, the latter being disposed-centrallyof the strip from which the blank is formed, or in other words would beshaped from the space I2 of a next successive blank fashioned from anelongated strip.

The prong or finger portions I I and I3 are spaced apart by a centralbody portion I4, which preferably has an elongated aperture l5 therein.It will appear from Fig. 5, that the outer edges is of the fingers orprongs M are continuous with and in alinement with corresponding edgesof the body i i. In other words, these edges would define the width ofthe strip stock employed in forming the resulting device.

The device is preferably formed from a spring metal which may betempered to give the desired tension Properties thereto. On the otherhand, the device can be formed from certain types of plastics havinginherent spring properties within the fiexure required to clamp a curlbetween the prong ends thereof, as later described.

After forming the blank HI, the body portion I4 is bent, to form acurved spring back or loop l1, note Fig.1, and said body portion andpart of the finger or prong is being shaped to form offset wall portionsl8 and ill, the latter forming a fingerpiece portionby means of whichthe device can be operated in the manner illustrated in Fig. 2 of thedrawing.

In bending the blank, the finger or prong i3 is bent angularly to thewall portion i8 and disposed normally in an upwardly and outwardlyinclined position with respect to the fingers H and this wouldconstitute the normal position of the device. In use, pressure isapplied to the fingerpiece [9 to pass the finger I 3 downwardly throughthe opening 12 to extend below the fingers II in the manner seen in Fig.2 of the drawing, whereupon a flat pin or sculpture curl, such as seenat 2 ii, in Fig. 3, can be placed between the prongs l3 and I1,whereupon pressure on the device is released and. the prongs willautomatically move toward each other gripping the curl therebetween inthe manner indicated in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawing. Both of theseshowings are diagrammatic to illustrate'a use of the device.

It will be apparent, however, that in some instances, the finger orprong end l3 may assume a position substantially in alinement with theprongs I I,.s0 as to form a slight curvature in the curl. This can 'bevcontrolled by relative spacing of adjacent edges of the prongs H and I3,one with respect to the other. After the curl has been-set, the holdingdevice is readily removed by again applying pressure on the fingerpieceI9, in'the manner illustrated in Fig. 2.

In Fig. 7 of the drawing, I have shown a sli ht modification, in which ablank it, generally similar to' the blank I 0 is employed, but formedfrom wider "strip stock, so as to provide three prongs ll'f at one endand two prongs l3 at the opposit end, however, in the same generalrelationship .as [the formation of the prongs H and i3. With thisconstruction, the central body M has two elongated apertures 15',instead of one. The device as seenin Fig. 7 provides a wider surfaceengagementwith a cur-l than with the structure as seen in Figs. 1 to 6inclusive. With both forms of construction shown, the prongs can bestrengthened and further characterized in the manner indicated in part,in Fig. 8 of the draw-.

3 ing. Here to illustrate this modification, it has been shown appliedto part of a blank of the general form seen in Fig. 5. Here a blank 10"is provided, which has the same prong end construction as the blank Ill.However, the prong ends, for example, the two prong ends defined by thedouble prongs 2!, are strengthened and reinforced by a longitudinalcorrugation 22 in the prongs, and preferably extending to a slightextent onto the central body portion 23, as indicated at 24, but it isalso preferred that the corrugated portions will have longitudinallyspaced vent apertures 25 to facilitate drying of the curl.

Considering the general arrangement, as seen in Fig. 2 of the drawing,it will be preferred that the corrugation on the double prongs orfingers 2| extend at the lower surface thereof and on the associatedfinger, not shown, on the upper surface thereof.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A curl holder device of the character described comprising a unitarystrip-likebody of predetermined width having prongend portions, saidprong end portions being joined by a centrally apertured spring loopnormally tensioned to maintain the prong ends in diverging relationshipto each other, said loop being of a width common to the greatest widthof said body one prong end being offset with respect to the loop portionthereof and adapted to pass through the other prong end in gripping acurl between the upper surface of the first named prong end and thelower surface of the other prong end of the device, the prongs of saiddevice having longitudinal corrugations.

2. A curl holder device of the character described comprising a unitarystrip-like body of predetermined width having prong end portions, saidprong end portions being joined by a centrally apertured spring loopnormally tensioned to maintain the prong ends in diverging relationshipto each other, said loop being of a width common to the greatest widthof said body one prong end being offset with respect to the loop portionthereof and adapted to pass through the other prong end in gripping acurl between the upper surface of the first named prong end and thelower surface of the other prong end of the device, the prongs of saiddevice having longitudinal corrugations, and perforations in said corrugations.

3. A curl holding device fashioned from an elongated narrow strip ofmaterial, said strip beingfashioned to form a central body having prongend portions, the central body being apertured and fashioned to formspring fingerpiece loop, with one prong end portion continuous with andof the same width as one side of said loop, the other prong end portionbeing narrower and offset with respect to the other side of said loopand normally diverging with respect to the first named prong endportion, and the prongs of said end portions being arranged to intersectto provide movement of one prong end portion through the other prong endportion in manual actuation of the fingerpiece loop of the device and inmovement of the device into curl engaging position.

4. A curl holding device fashioned from an elongated narrow strip ofmaterial, said strip being fashioned to form a central body having prongend portions, the central body being apertured and fashioned to form aspring fingerpiece loop, with one prong end portion continuous with andof the same width as one side of said loop, the other prong end portionbeing narrower and offset with respect to the other side of said loopand normally diverging with respect to the first named prong endportion, the prongs of said end portions being arranged to intersect toprovide movement of one prong end portion through the other prong endportion in manual actuation of the fingerpiece loop of the device and inmovement 'of the device into curl engaging position, and the prongs ofsaid device having corrugations.

5. A curl holding device fashioned from an elongated narrow strip ofmaterial, said strip being fashioned to form a central body having prongend portions, the central body being apertured and fashioned to form aspring fingerpiece loop, with one prong end portion continuous with andof the same width as one side of said loop, the other prong end portionbeingnarrower and offset with respect to the other side of said loop andnormally diverging with respect to the first named prong end portion,the prongs of said end portions being arranged to intersect to providemovement of one prong end portionthrough the other prong end portion inmanual actuation of the fingerpiece loop of the device and in movementof the device into curl engaging position, the prongs of said devicehaving corrugations, and said corrugations having apertures spacedlongitudinally thereof.

6, A curl holding device fashioned from an elongated narrow strip ofmaterial, said strip being fashioned to form a central body having prongend portions, the central body being apertured and fashioned to form aspring finger-piece loop, with one prong end portion continuous with andof the same width as one side of said loop, the other prong end portionbeing narrower and offset with respect to the other side of said loopand normally diverging with respect to the first named prong endportion, the prongs of said end portions being arranged to intersect toprovide movement of one prong end portion through the other prong endportion in manual actuation of the fingerpiece loop of the device and inmovement of the device into curl engaging position, the prongs of saiddevice having corrugations, and the corrugation of one end portion beingupward and on the other end portion downward.

- NATHAN L. SOLOMON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 633,674 Ward Sept. 26, 18991,278,142 Graham Sept. 10, 1918 2,209,318 Caldwell July 30, 19402,289,749 Boxer July 14, 1942 2,457,303 Cross Dec. 28, 1948 FOREIGNPATENTS Number Country Date 107,309 France Mar. 17, 1875 646,875 FranceNov. 16, 1928

